Anderson School District 1 approves resolution to put $109 million bond referendum to vote

Plans for the new Wren Middle School(Photo11: Provided/Anderson District 1)

Anderson School District One board members have passed a resolution authorizing a $109 million bond referendum to fund construction of two new middle schools and other capital improvements, district officials said.

Taxpayers will vote on the referendum April 30, said Superintendent Robbie Binnicker.

In addition to the bond debt, the building program would be funded by $3 million from the district’s general fund and $20 million from the local option sales tax, Binnicker said.

Total cost of the program is $132 million. The bulk of it — about $89 million — will go toward constructing two new schools to replace Palmetto Middle and Wren Middle, both which were built in the 1950s, Binnicker said.

"They have far exceeded their life expectancy," he said.

Also included in the building program is $21.3 million to add classrooms to Cedar Grove Elementary, Powdersville Elementary, Spearman Elementary and Powdersville Middle. Binnicker said the schools are operating at or over capacity.

All 14 of the district’s schools need to upgrade their security cameras and access doors. Seven of the schools lack a secure vestibule at the main entrance, meaning anyone walk into the school unnoticed, Binnicker said.

The security updates are estimated to cost $5.7 million while infrastructure improvements, including new roofs and HVAC systems, would cost about $11 million.

Officials are projecting the district will add more than 3,000 students in the next 15 years. Already, the district has grown from 7,776 students in 2003 to 10,254 today, Binnicker said.

Plans for the new Palmetto Middle School in Anderson District 1.(Photo11: Provided/Anderson District 1)

"Everything on this list is a very critical expenditure for the district," he said.

If the referendum is approved, the district's millage rate would increase from 30 mills to 46 mills. That means the property tax rate for a $100,000 owner-occupied home would be capped at $5.33 more a month, or $64 a year.

A $10,000 vehicle would be taxed 80 cents more a month, or $9.60 a year, and a $100,000 business would be taxed $8 more a month, or $96 a year.

If the referendum isn't approved, the district said it would be forced to "put portables at schools where enrollment has reached capacity." The district would then use what funds are available to make "limited repairs and upgrades" to the existing Palmetto and Wren middle schools.